Human Impacts, Water Resources and Ecosystem Maintenance in the Okavango Delta

C. Vanderpost and S. Ringrose (Botswana)

Keywords

Human impacts, water resources, ecosystem services

Abstract

The paper considers fresh water use in the Okavango
Delta in two categories: abstractive and non-abstractive
fresh water use. For each category the main uses and their
issues are discussed and an assessment is made regarding
the manner in which the Okavango Delta Management
Plan (ODMP) addresses these issues. From the
perspective of fresh water use and the ecosystem services
required to support it, the paper critiques aspects of the
ODMP. Human impacts relevant to water resource
management are examined with particular attention to
population growth and distribution, land transformation
and human access. Water resources are examined from
the perspectives of increasing household needs and other
livelihood related needs vis-à-vis ecological needs in a
protected area. It is argued that if the purpose of water
resource management is to ensure long-term future fresh
water availability as well as the maintenance of other
important wetland ecosystem services that support
people’s livelihoods, then it needs to be incorporated into
broader wetland ecosystem management objectives as
contained in the ODMP. Integrated implementation of the
plan is the major challenge for the Okavango Ramsar site.